Andre Gordon Jr. arrested after shooting dead 3 relatives, including the mother of his two young children, two carjackings before eventual arrest after 8 hour ordeal across Pennsylvania and NJ before eventual arrest in Trenton. No known motive.
A homeless man accused of forcing his way inside a Pennsylvania home and killing 2 relatives before then fleeing to another nearby home where he shot the mother of his children dead before carjacking a second vehicle and making his way to a home in NJ where he arrested after an ordeal that lasted 8 hours.
Andre Gordon Jr. 26, is alleged to have killed three people in their Philadelphia-area homes Saturday, including that of a 13 year old teen girl and was later arrested in Trenton following a major police response and hours long standoff, authorities said.
8 hour ordeal across Pennsylvania and NJ
Gordon was found near a house were he was believed to have barricaded himself before his eventual arrest near the home.
Gordon is alleged to have killed his stepmother, his 13 year old teenage sister and the mother of his children in shootings that stretched into two homes in eastern Pennsylvania’s Falls Township, Saturday morning, Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said during a Sunday press release.
Following his arrest, NJ authorities charged Gordon with carjacking, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, second-degree unlawful possession of an assault firearm, third-degree unlawful possession of a firearm without a serial number, third-degree receiving stolen property, fourth-degree unlawful possession of large-capacity ammunition and fourth-degree possession of hollow-point ammunition, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin’s office said.
Charges in Pennsylvania are pending.
While Gordon had had some minor brushes with the law, they were ‘nothing that would indicate that anything like this would happen,’ Falls Township Police Chief Nelson Whitney said at a news conference.
Gunman shoots 3 relatives dead, including mom of his 2 young children
The mayhem began when Gordon armed an AR-15-style rifle allegedly carjacked a driver in Trenton, NJ, to get to Pennsylvania, where he forced his way into a home in the Falls Township community of Levittown where he killed his 52-year-old stepmother, Karen Gordon, and his 13-year-old sister, Kera Gordon. Three other occupants, including a 14-year-old, hid as Gordon went through the house, searching for them, the district attorney said.
Gordon is alleged to have fled the scene just on 9am, Saturday morning, driving to another home in nearby Levittown where he shot and killed 25-year-old Taylor Daniel, the mother of his two children, who witnessed their mother’s fatal gunning. The victim’s mother was bludgeoned with a rifle. Police said the injured woman is expected to recover.
After the shootings, Gordon carjacked a vehicle in a parking lot in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, from a 44-year-old man who wasn’t harmed. From there, officials said, Gordon drove to a home in Trenton, barricading himself, with hostages in the upstairs portion of the residence.
Knowing a nearby home on Phillips Avenue in Trenton was where Gordon had stayed in the past, officers rushed to that location. According to New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin’s office, police confirmed he had been inside, levittownnow reported.
No known motive
By midafternoon, officers surrounded the house on a taped-off block, calling to Gordon through a loudspeaker and trying to persuade him to come out.
‘Andre, get away from the windows. If you would like to surrender, dial 911 now,’ one message went.
The man who had managed to flee before a fenced perimeter was set up was found a quarter mile away at the back entrance of a hospital at 5:15 p.m. and taken into custody without incident, Trenton police officials said.
Police said Gordon was believed to be homeless.
Police in Middletown Township, Pennsylvania, said the suspect has ties to addresses in Bucks County and Trenton and ‘stays in Trenton primarily.’
No known motive for the slayings was immediately known.
“The string of violent acts is the latest in a horrific litany of illustrations of how illegal guns and assault rifles can empower one aggrieved and disturbed actor,’ NJ AG Matthew Platkin said. ‘We will pursue justice for the victims and hold the defendant accountable for his reprehensible actions.’
Gordon was being housed on Sunday in the Mercer County Correction Center.
Levittown, a model American suburb named for developer William Levitt, is known for its cost-efficient, assembly line housing, erected amid high demand for living quarters after World War II. It’s in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, about 26 miles from the city.
